Tour de France 2021: Konrad solos to triumph in Saint-Gaudens

foto: Cor VosPatrick Konrad attacks from the breakaway on the Col de Portet d’Aspet. Sonny Colbrelli bests Michael Matthews in the sprint for second place. The GC riders finish almost 14 minutes after the stage winner and Tadej Pogacar enters the decisive Pyrenean races in the yellow jersey. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 16th stage Tour de France 2021

1. Patrick Konrad (aut)
2. Sonny Colbrelli (ita) + 0.42
3. Michael Matthews (aus) s.t.
4. Pierre-Luc Périchon (fra) s.t.
5. Franck Bonnamour (fra) s.t.
6. Alex Aranburu (spa) s.t.
7. Toms Skujins (lat) + 0.45
8. Jan Bakelants (bel) s.t.
9. David Gaudu (fra) + 0.47
10. Lorenzo Rota (ita) + 1.03
– GC group at 13.49 minutes

GC after stage 16
1. Tadej Pogacar (slo)
2. Rigoberto Uran (col) + 5.18
3. Jonas Vingegaard (den) + 5.32
4. Richard Carapaz (ecu) + 5.33
5. Ben O’Connor (aus) + 5.58
6. Wilco Kelderman (nld) + 6.16
7. Alexey Lutsenko (kaz) + 7.01
8. Enric Mas (spa) + 7.11
9. Guillaume Martin (fra) + 8.02
10. Pello Bilbao (spa) + 10.59

Race report
Asgreen is the first attacker. The Dane opens a gap of almost 2 minutes before the road starts to go uphill after aproximately 40 kilometres.

Kwiatkowski and Cattaneo bridge across on the Col du Port before the attackers are brought back in the descent.

Juul-Jensen, Bakelants and Doubey break clear just before the Col de la Core. Konrad tracks them down on the climb, while Juul-Jensen drops back into a group of nine chasers: Skujins, Gaudu, Périchon, Wright, Colbrelli, Matthews, Aranburu, Rota, Bonnamour.

Konrad goes solo on the Col de Portet d’Aspet. The Austrian opens up a 1 minute gap, but it comes down in the steep second half of the climb. Gaudu and Colbrelli are the first chasers and they reach the summit 20 seconds behind the sole leader. A group with Matthews is 23 seconds further behind.

Konrad extends his lead on the run-in to the last climb, while Matthews, Bonnamour, Périchon, Rota, Aranburu, Skujins and Bakelants rejoin Gaudu and Colbrelli.

The soloist crests the Côte d’Aspret-Sarrat 1 minute ahead of the chasers, which is enough for the best win in his career.

Périchon tries to ride to second place with a late attack, but Colbrelli and Matthews bring him back in the dying metres. The Italian gets the better of the Australian in the sprint for second place and points for the green jersey.

The GC group comes home 13.49 minutes after the stage winner and Pogacar stays in yellow.

Another interesting read: route 16th stage 2021 Tour de France.